A black bear in Colorado has died after being stuck inside an unlocked car for several days.

Tragedy in Colorado Springs: Trapped Black Bear Dies Inside Unlocked Vehicle

A 300-pound black bear in Colorado Springs died after spending days trapped inside an unlocked car. As the animal desperately tried to break free, it completely shredded the vehicle's interior before being discovered.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Officer Travis Sauder told The Meridian that bears are smart enough to open unlocked car doors to hunt for food, but often get stuck when doors slam shut behind them.

"Typically, they pull the door open, grab food, and leave," Sauder told The Meridian. "But sometimes the door closes, and they can't figure out how to open it from the inside."

A Spiking Bear Crisis

The fatal incident comes during a record-breaking year for bear encounters across the state. Between January and mid-August, CPW logged over 6,100 bear reports—nearly double the amount from the same timeframe last year, and already topping total conflicts for all of 2025. This puts 2026 on track to hit the highest number of reported bear-human interactions since digital tracking began.

Officials blame a severe drought and late freezes, which killed off natural food sources and forced hungry bears into populated areas. The timing is critical: bears are currently in hyperphagia, a late-summer phase where they aggressively eat to pack on winter fat reserves.